Ex-health official was strangulated, says report

FORMER DEPUTY director (nursing) Anant Kumari Singh, whose body was recovered from her room yesterday, was strangulated. This came to light following the post-mortem examination of her body on Friday. The cops were probing robbery as a motive for the killing. Two of the domestic helps including a maid were detained for interrogation.

The statement of the maid appeared suspicious as she used to stay with the woman at night. But three days before the murder, the maid started going back to her home.

Other tenants of the building, where Anant Kumari used to live, said they did not see any outsider vising the woman during the past three days, according to Rajesh Sahni, CO, Chowk.

Anant Kumari had been staying alone in a rented room on the first floor of the building for over 15 years. The cops had found passbooks, belonging to different banks and post-office, from the room. The documents showed that a sum of Rs 3 lakh was deposited in these accounts, they said.

Sahni said from the preliminary investigation, it appeared that the woman was killed for valuables available in the house. It also appeared that the assailant had collected all jewellery that the victim wore.

5 held for smuggling cattle

THE ITAUNJA police arrested five persons ferrying 25 cows illegally in two vehicles to Rampur district on Friday,.

The cops intercepted two vehicles—Mahindra carrier van (UP 32 BN-4612) and a DCM truck (DM 1 LG-4959)—during a routine checking near Baseharighat crossing. The cops found the cows tied up inside the vehicles.

When asked for the relevant documents, the occupants failed to show any.
Those arrested were identified as Sanjiv Kumar and Rajesh of Rae Bareli and Ramesh Kumar, Gurvinder Singh and Charanjit Singh, all of Delhi. The accused said they had purchased the cattle from Maal area of Lucknow and were taking it to Rampur.